‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’: Fiona Apple’s Eccentric Genius

"This percussive-esque album features a tsk tsk there to a boom-boom here as Apple’s near-spoken lyrics flow from track to track."

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Eight years ago marked the last moment until 2020 that the world heard from the jazz turned alt-rock piano-based artist, Fiona Apple.

In her debut record Tidal, Apple presented a silky arrangement compared to the likes of Tori Amos. For the 2012 release of The Idler Wheel…, Apple presents a similar conflict that’s often found in her work. Her works bring an array of emotionalism and ridicule in the comment sections of each album.

The unexpected release of Fetch The Bolt Cutters moves away from common scenery and finds Apple nabbing back at those who have done her wrong. In her most fine-tuned album to date, Apple generates an influx of confidence that isn’t often heard before by the singer-songwriter.

The long-awaited record clashes with eccentricities that Apple pummels into the rhythmic chaos.

“I Want You To Love Me” and “Shameika” kicks off the record with an introspective view on love as the former insights a symbolic truth of “does the matter?”. The latter tune combines eccentric harmonies with a truthful story where Apple’s told she “has potential”. Apple reassures herself that she has potential and has the ability to end up where she desires.

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This percussive-esque album features a tsk tsk there to a boom-boom here as Apple’s near-spoken lyrics flow from track to track.

“For Her” begins with a faded parade of clapping mixed with cymbal crashes followed by an a Capella first verse of pure hatred as Apple pens her own letter of disgust shortly after the nomination hearings for Brett Kavanaugh began. Apple twinkles around this fun-sounding ditty barring no pressure with a backing band as she sings “Maybe she was not for/Traveling in the stock car anymore/Maybe she spent her formative years/Dealing with his contentious fears/And endless jeers at her endless tears…”.

This is only the beginning of Apple’s confrontations. As each tune slides into gear and offers opinions of hers that have been up on the loading dock for years.

Apples’ opinions tackle the misfortunes that she and the world have often encountered.

“Rack of His” questions two relationships of Apples’ past and summons the downfall of them. Apple grows from a groovy whisper as the words “Check out that rack of his, look at that row of guitar necks/Lined up like eager fillies, outstretched like legs of Rockettes/They don’t know what they are in for and they don’t care, but I do…” deliver an atmospheric shift in the world that she often pushed aside.

No longer will Apple let the problems of the past, present, or future dictate her outcome.

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The subtle calling-out anthem “Under The Table” contains elegant piano riffs intertwined with the thought of someone being offensive and sticking up for the offended party. Echoic, call and response vocals showcase her ability for production and create hypnotic patterns that rotate harmony after harmony.

The title track, “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” ignites a flurry of repetitive drum beats to howls of vocal oddities throughout each chorus. As the tune descends into a field of delicately-laid frustrated memories and waves of underlying anger.

The women-binding “Ladies” begs for men to be at fault for their mistakes rather than attacking fellow women. The parade of “ladies, ladies, ladies” slips and slides into the atmosphere as Apple whistles around jazzy-rock riffs.

Apples’ genius bursts onto the scene as past faulty relationships and mean spirits stumbled their way into the record.

“Cosmonauts” elicits a quirky romance into a semi-head-banging tune that a couples’ love could exist until anxiety kicks in. Apple sways from a widened, laid-back bridge into this flowing rhythm of the pre-chorus with “Now let me see, it’s you and me, forgive, good God/How do you suppose we’ll survive?”.

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Apple hops from different memories as each track delivers the heart-wrenching truth. Her tacky rhythmic eloquence and in-depth lyrics drill holes into societal norms that get shoved deep down. Apple brings out her badassery and symbolizes it with confidence. An amount of confidence that isn’t noticed often by the 42-year-old singer-songwriter.

Fetch The Bolt Cutters ignites a fire in Apples’ heart as each tune spills out truths from over the years. The realness comes from within the raw, crisp vocals that make up Apples’ smooth, jazzy vocals.

Time has passed and Apple has matured while her music has only grown stronger. Apple creates a masterpiece with the collision of harmony and truth serum storytelling.